Oil pan barrier

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for retaining oil within a portion of an oil pan comprising a partition extending substantially horizontally within the oil pan. The partition has at least one opening therethrough and at least one rotatable flap mounted proximate to the at least one opening. The flap is sized to cover and substantially seal the at least one opening in a first orientation, and be suspended from the partition at a second orientation. An oil pay may also include the partition extending substantially horizontally therein having at least one opening therethrough and at least one rotatable flap mounted proximate to the at least one opening.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/344,223 filed Jun. 14, 2010 entitled Oil Pan Barrier.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to oil pans in general and in particular to a barrier locatable within an oil pan to retain the oil in a lowermost portion of the oil pan.

2. Description of Related Art

In the field of automotive engines, oil is commonly circulated through the engine to lubricate it. To do so, oil is pooled below the engine block in an oil pan or reservoir after passing through the engine for collection by an oil pump to be redistributed through the engine.

One well known problem in engine lubrication is maintaining the oil in the reservoir at a sufficient volume and at an appropriate location for pick up by the oil pump. Such oil pump pick-ups are typically located towards the rear of the oil pan. In particular, in applications where the vehicle may be accelerating, decelerating or changing directions at a high rate, the oil will have a tendency to propagate to one side or the other of the oil pan under the influence of the accelerating or cornering force.

In particular, engines for use in drag racing are particularly susceptible to this difficulty due to the high acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle during the course of a drag racing run. In such a vehicle the oil located within the oil pan will be collected in the front or rear portion of the oil under deceleration or acceleration of the vehicle, respectively. Collection of the oil in either the front or rear portion of the oil pan causes several difficulties during operation of the engine. Where the oil is pooled in the front portion of the oil pan during deceleration of the vehicle, the oil pump may have difficulties collecting any oil from the oil pan if the oil pump pickup is located in the rear of the oil pan. Similarly, oil pickups located in a front portion of the oil pan may have difficulty collecting oil during acceleration of the vehicle.

And additional difficulty is that oil that is pooled or otherwise collected in one of the front or rear portions of the oil pan may rise to a liquid level of a sufficient height to come into contact with the bottom of the crank shaft. Such contact between the oil and the crankshaft may lead to power loss of the engine due to the additional drag therebetween.

Previous solutions to address the above difficulties have been insufficient. In particular trap doors or other one-way openings have been provided in a vertical wall located across the oil pan to maintain oil in either of the front or rear portion of the oil pan. Such solutions have not been adequate for applications which undergo a very high acceleration or deceleration forces such as drag racing vehicles. The height of such walls has conventionally been limited so as to not interfere with or impact the crank shaft thereabove. Due to this limited height of such vertical wall barriers, in a very high acceleration or deceleration applications, oil may be allowed to pass over the top of the vertical barrier wall and thereby to circumvent such solutions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed an apparatus for retaining oil within a portion of an oil pan. The apparatus comprises a partition extending substantially horizontally within the oil pan. The partition has at least one opening therethrough and at least one rotatable flap mounted proximate to the at least one opening. The flap is sized to cover and substantially seal the at least one opening in a first orientation, and be suspended from the partition at a second orientation.

The partition may include a plurality of openings. The plurality of openings may be angularly oriented towards an end of the vehicle. At least one of the plurality of openings may comprise an acceleration opening being angularly oriented downwards towards a rear end of the vehicle. At least one of the plurality of openings may comprise a deceleration opening being angularly oriented downwards towards a front end of the vehicle. The openings may be angularly oriented at an angle of between 15 and 45 degrees from horizontal.

The partition may include four acceleration openings being angularly oriented downwards towards a rear end of the vehicle and three deceleration openings being angularly oriented downwards towards a front end of the vehicle.

The at least one opening may have a substantially rectangular outline. The at least one opening may have a width across the oil pan greater than a length along a longitudinal direction of the oil pan.

The flap may be rotatably mounted to a bottom surface of the partition. The flap may be rotatably mounted proximate to a higher side of its corresponding opening. The flap may hang in a substantially vertical orientation in the second orientation. The flap may be proximate to the partition and surround its corresponding opening in the first position. The flap may have a length of between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch greater than its corresponding opening. The flap may have a width of between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch greater than its corresponding opening.

The partition may have an outline corresponding to an interior surface of the oil pan. The partition may be securable within the oil pan by fasteners. The fasteners may be selected from the group consisting of bolts, screws or rivets. The partition may be securable within the oil pan by welding.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed an oil pan for retaining oil within a lowermost thereof. The oil pan has a partition extending substantially horizontally therein having at least one opening therethrough and at least one rotatable flap mounted proximate to the at least one opening. The at least one flap is sized to cover and substantially seal the at least one opening in a first orientation, and suspended from the partition at a second orientation.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an oil pan having a barrier apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the barrier of FIG. 1 located within the oil pan.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus and oil pan of FIG. 1 along the line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention as taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for retaining oil within a lowermost portion of an oil pan according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown generally at 20 located within an oil pan 8. The oil pan 8 may be of a conventional type having a top rim 10 and interior surface 12. The apparatus is located at a substantially midpoint within the interior of the oil pan so as to separate the interior of the oil pan into an upper portion 14 and a lower portion 16. It will be appreciated that the apparatus 20 should be located at a position within the oil pan at a sufficient depth to prevent impact or interference of the apparatus upon the crankshaft or connecting rods of the engine.

The apparatus 20 comprises a substantially planar member or partition 22 having an outline 24 corresponding to the shape of the interior surface 12 of the oil pan 8. The partition 22 includes a plurality of first and second angular portions, 26 and 28, respectively having corresponding openings 30 and 32, respectively, extending therethrough. The first angular portions 26 are positioned towards a front portion 7 of the oil pan 8 and are angled in a downwards direction towards the front portion 7. The second angular portions 28 are positioned towards a rear portion 9 of the oil pan and are angled in a downwards direction towards the rear portion 9. Each of the first openings 30 includes a deceleration flap 42 associated therewith and each of the second openings 32 includes an acceleration flap 40 associated therewith. As will be further explained below, the first angular portions 26 and their corresponding openings 30 are adapted to be closed or blocked by the deceleration flap 42 upon deceleration of the vehicle in which the engine is located and the second angular portions 28 and their corresponding openings 32 are adapted to be closed or blocked by the acceleration flap 40 upon acceleration of the vehicle. As illustrated, the first and second openings 30 and 32 may have a substantially rectangular cross-section. However, it will be appreciated that other opening cross-sections may also be useful as well such as, by way of nonliving example, square, oval, circular or irregular. The first and second openings 30 and 32 may be selected to be as wide as possible, such as to size the first and second openings to be approximately ¼ of an inch less than the width of the oil pan. The first and second openings should also be sized to have a length sufficient to permit ease of closing between the first and second angular portions 26 and 28 and their respective acceleration and deceleration flaps 40 and 42 while preventing the acceleration and deceleration flaps from contacting the bottom of the oil pan.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a top plan view of the partition 22 is illustrated. As illustrated, the apparatus 20 may have three first or deceleration openings 30 and four second or acceleration openings 32. Will be appreciated that although four acceleration openings 32 and three deceleration openings 30 are illustrated, other quantities and combinations of the two types may be useful as well. The apparatus 20 may be designed to have differing numbers above the acceleration openings 32 or deceleration openings 30 depending on the intended use of the oil pan. By way of non-limiting example, for applications, such as drag racing, wherein the engine is required to provide a large amount of power while undergoing rapid acceleration, it may be desirable to provide the apparatus 20 with a larger number of acceleration openings so as to retain a greater volume of oil in the lower portion 16 of the oil pan during such acceleration. Furthermore, during applications in which the vehicle will experience rapid deceleration, the number and size of deceleration openings may be selected to retain a greater or lesser volume of oil in the lower portion 16 of the oil pan 8 depending on the engine operation and power requirements during or immediately after such deceleration. In applications such as drag racing, by way of non-limiting example, the apparatus may be designed to have a lesser number of deceleration openings as the engine will not be required to operate under a high load conditions immediately following the to deceleration at the end of the run. However, for applications such as track racing, the engine will be required to provide optimal or greater amounts of power, immediately after the deceleration, and therefore, it will be more desirable to maintain the larger quantity of oil in the lower portion 16 of the oil pan during and immediately after such deceleration. Accordingly, for such applications a greater number of deceleration openings may be appropriate.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a cross sectional view of the apparatus 20 located within an oil pan and is illustrated as taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2. As illustrated, the apparatus 20 comprises four acceleration openings and three deceleration openings as described above with reference to FIG. 2, although it will be appreciated that different numbers of each of these openings may be useful as well. As set out above, each of the deceleration openings 30 is located through a corresponding first angular portion 26. Each of the first angular portions may be angularly oriented relative to horizontal by an angle generally indicated as 34. The deceleration angle 34 may be selected to correspond to the deceleration that the vehicle is expected to undergo, and therefore to the angle which the deceleration flap 42 is expected to rotate to under such deceleration. Furthermore, each of the acceleration openings 32 is located through a corresponding second angular portion 28. Each of the second angular portions 28 may be angularly oriented relative to horizontal by an angle generally indicated as 36. The acceleration angle 36 may be selected to correspond to the acceleration that the vehicle is expected to undergo, and therefore to the angle which the acceleration flap 40 is expected to rotate to under such acceleration. By way of non-limiting example, the acceleration and deceleration angles 34 and 36 may be selected between 15 and 45 degrees.

The acceleration flaps 40 are suspended from the second angular portions 28 proximate to a top edge of the acceleration openings 32. The acceleration flaps 40 are pivotally suspended from the second angular portions 28 by a hinge 44. As illustrated, the acceleration flaps, 40 are suspended from a bottom surface of the second angular portions 28 so as to hang substantially vertically therefrom in a first position when the vehicle is at rest or traveling under a constant velocity. Upon acceleration of the vehicle, the oil located within the lower portion 16 of the oil pan 8 will be moved towards the rear of the oil pan any direction generally indicated at 46. Due to the oil travelling towards the rear of the oil pan 46 as well as the gravitational forces upon the acceleration flaps 40 due to the acceleration will cause the flaps to be rotated about acceleration hinges 44 a direction generally indicated at 48. Upon the vehicle achieving a sufficient acceleration according to the design of the vehicle and the engine, the acceleration flaps will engage upon the bottom surface of the second angular portions 28 so as to cover and substantially seal off the acceleration openings 32.

The deceleration flaps 42 are suspended from the first angular portions 26 proximate to a top edge of the deceleration openings 30. The deceleration flaps 42 are pivotally suspended from the first angular portions 26 by a deceleration hinge 50. As illustrated, the deceleration flaps 42 are suspended from the first angular portions 26 so as to hang substantially vertically therefrom in a first position when the vehicle is at rest or traveling under a constant velocity. Upon deceleration of the vehicle, the oil located within the lower portion 16 of the oil pan 8 will be moved towards the front of the oil pan any direction generally indicated at 52. Movement of the oil towards the rear of the oil pan 46 as well as the gravitational forces upon the deceleration flaps 42 due to the deceleration will cause the flaps to be rotated about deceleration hinges 50 in a direction generally indicated at 54. Upon the vehicle achieving a sufficient deceleration according to the design of the vehicle and the engine, the deceleration flaps will engage upon the bottom surface of the first angular portions 26 so as to cover and substantially seal off the deceleration openings 30.

It will be appreciated that the size of the flaps 40 and 42 should be selected to cover the openings. In particular, the flaps may be sized to overlap their corresponding openings by between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch. The flaps and openings may also optionally be provided with gaskets or seals to aid in the sealing therebetween as are commonly known.

The apparatus 20 may be formed of any suitable rigid material, such as, by way of non-limiting example, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, as well as other metals, plastics and composite materials. The partition 22 and the flaps 40 and 42 may have a thickness selected to have sufficient strength for the desired application. By way of non-limiting example, for flaps 40 and 42 formed of steel or stainless steel, a thickness of between 10 and 20 gauge has been found useful. The partition 22 may be secured with an oil pan 8 by bolting, welding, riveting, through the use of adhesives or any other suitable method as are commonly known in the art. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the apparatus 20 may be provided as an additional component to be installed into an existing oil pan 8 or may be optionally formed integrally with the oil pan 8.

Turning now to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the present apparatus 20 is illustrated for use in road or track racing vehicles. The apparatus 20 comprises a substantially planar member or partition 100 located within the interior of the oil pan as set out above. The partition 100 includes left and right angular portions, 102 and 104, respectively having corresponding openings 106 and 108 extending therethrough. The left and right angular portions are angled away from the central axis of the oil pan and the vehicle. The apparatus further includes a centrally mounted rotatable flap 110 between the left and right angular potions 102 and 104 such that under cornering of the vehicle the flap will be either rotated into contact with the left angular portion 102 in the direction indicated generally at 112 or into contact with the right angular portion 104 in the direction indicated generally at 114. It will be seen therefore that in such an embodiment, the flap 110 will serve to retain the oil in the lower portion 16 of the oil pan under cornering forces of the vehicle. Such an embodiment may be useful for replacement of what are known as dry sump oil collection systems in racing and high performance cars.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the above description. 

1. An apparatus for retaining oil within a portion of an oil pan, the apparatus comprising a partition extending substantially horizontally within the oil pan, said partition having at least one opening therethrough and at least one rotatable flap mounted proximate to said at least one opening, the flap being sized to cover and substantially seal said at least one opening in a first orientation, and be suspended from said partition at a second orientation.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said partition includes a plurality of openings.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein at said plurality of openings are angularly oriented towards an end of the vehicle.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein at least one of said plurality of openings comprises an acceleration opening being angularly oriented downwards towards a rear end of the vehicle.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein at least one of said plurality of openings comprises a deceleration opening being angularly oriented downwards towards a front end of the vehicle.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said openings are angularly oriented at an angle of between 15 and 45 degrees from horizontal.
 7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said partition includes four acceleration openings being angularly oriented downwards towards a rear end of the vehicle and three deceleration openings being angularly oriented downwards towards a front end of the vehicle.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one opening has a substantially rectangular outline.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said at least one opening has a width across the oil pan greater than a length along a longitudinal direction of the oil pan.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flap is rotatably mounted to a bottom surface of said partition.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said flap is rotatably mounted proximate to a higher side of its corresponding opening.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said flap hangs in a substantially vertical orientation in said second orientation.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flap is proximate to said partition and surround its corresponding opening in said first position.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flap has a length of between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch greater than its corresponding opening.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flap has a width of between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch greater than its corresponding opening.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said partition has an outline corresponding to an interior surface of the oil pan.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said partition is securable within the oil pan by fasteners.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said fasteners is selected from the group consisting of bolts, screws or rivets.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said partition is securable within the oil pan by welding.
 20. An oil pan for retaining oil within a lowermost thereof, said oil pan having a partition extending substantially horizontally therein, said partition having at least one opening therethrough and at least one rotatable flap mounted proximate to said at least one opening, said at least one flap being sized to cover and substantially seal said at least one opening in a first orientation, and suspended from said partition at a second orientation. 